Contraceptives are something of an enigma in Malta: sometimes they’re there, sometimes they’re not.

Years before Brexit and the COVID-19 crisis stunted supplies, the anti-pregnancy pills were very much like a flaky ex-partner: sometimes they’re there, but when you really need them, they disappear.

In 2020, after countless women spoke to Lovin Malta about the detriment they faced being left without their life-changing medicine for months on end, this newsroom discovered that the pills were never considered essential by the government anyway.

Three years on, despite pledges and promises, nothing has changed.

Most countries have something called an essential medicine list, which they stock up on in case of a crisis that could cut the supply: just as the pandemic did in 2020.

When the coronavirus outbreak hit Malta, the government ordered a stock-up of what it considered essential medicines to prevent such shortages. However, the contraceptive pill was and is not listed as an essential medicine.

It comes as no surprise then that Malta’s access to contraception is below the European average, ranking 31st in a study covering 46 countries.

According to the Contraception Policy Atlas of Europe for 2023, which tracks government policies on access to contraceptive supplies, Malta received a poor score of 51.6%, due to current hurdles to contraception, including a general lack of contraceptive coverage within the national health system.

As it stands, the islands offer no special coverage for young people or vulnerable people like unemployed or low-income individuals.

Malta ranks just below Ukraine, and above Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Greece and Croatia.

Contraception in Malta has faced a sea of criticism in recent years, and with a sexual health policy that is bone-dry and more than a decade old, it’s not hard to see why.

A Lovin Malta survey found that out of 769 respondents, an overwhelming 81.5% agreed that contraception should either be free or subsidised because safe sex shouldn’t be a luxury for those who can afford it.

Political parties have responded with proposals. During election season, the Labour Party pledged that the morning-after pill and contraception would be free at health centres.

This proposal has not been materialised yet, and the islands’ bone-dry sexual health policy remains unchecked for over a decade.

The Nationalist Party proposed free contraception and morning-after pills in 2021, insisting it would reduce demand for abortion, while PL women’s branch Nisa Laburisti had proposed it back in 2020.

Until Malta gets a robust sexual health policy, check out Lovin Malta’s guide to everything you need to know about contraceptives on the islands.

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